Episode #131 – Jesus’ Practicality

(M) I told this story on the tape of the month. I have been real busy the last six months; so very busy. And I hate stuff, but I love stuff. Do you ladies understand? And I’m trying to get my house really organized and get rid of stuff, and then I’ll be interrupted and go, have to go look to the grandchildren, or get to go to the grandchildren… Say get to go to the grandchildren. And you know, always, I’m just never able to finish a task. I got so frustrated with that, trying to get through with this so I could get to the quiet time, and to my writing and things I have got to do. There were just you know, there waiting. I feel like there’re just never enough hours. So I was in that state, and I finally just said Lord, please, I know You do the practical, and I know that I can’t. I can’t do it without frustration I can’t do it with the frustration, and so please just take over. One morning my son was coming in, who’s a doctor in North Carolina. He’s had two wives who don’t cook, and so… You might want to cut that off, (the group laughs) although they are not ashamed of it. And one died, and so that’s the story. But anyway, he loves to come to my house because I cook for him. So I was all excited. I brought the groceries in… This is a real boring story, because it’s everyday life. So I brought the groceries in and thought oh I’ll start cooking. And I just won’t even put the groceries up; I’ll just start cooking. Well women know what that is; that’s a mess. And so I made…. I started whipping cream to make a strawberry mouse. And, then I decided to make turmeric mayonnaise, which is bright yellow mayonnaise. And so, I made the mayonnaise and had a cylinder with it; and then I started on the cream. And you know how when you pull the beater out? Whipped cream went in a ten-foot circle around the kitchen. And I had come in from buying groceries and I had on a nice shirt, and it went all over the shirt, and all over the pants. And so I just calmly went in and changed clothes; put those clothes in the wash. Came back in the kitchen, and then I knocked the paper towel over and it was covered in whipped cream. So I happened to knock it over and more whipped cream went all over the room. And I was just bringing in cloths and towels to get it up, and then I put my elbow in the turmeric mayonnaise and knocked it over the rug, so there was a bright yellow glob all over the rug; and I never got upset. And I got more towels; there were just a pile, an accumulation of towels. And I had to clean my shoes off, still didn’t get upset. And I went to the sink to wash out some of the towels, and suddenly the Lord came. And He had such joy that it was ecstasy to do that common task. And His joy was before the Father. And He felt like He took me right into the, to a relationship with the Father. It was something very rare. I don’t know that I’ve ever experienced it, but I experienced Christ’s joy to do the servant’s deed. The mess, not just in making something, making a cake, it was a mess. And His joy was to humbly do the servant’s deed. He loved being a servant. And it just broke me because I felt like I had stepped into something so holy because it was only… It was not for any show, it was not for anyone to see or know about. It was His joy to perform that task in the presence of God. And that may seem very thorough and unreal to you, but it was very real to me. And it just wrecked me. I saw how far I am from the servant’s heart, and well I’ll never get there. I’ll never; I’ll never get there. Only He in the universe is that kind of Servant. And it changed for me His washing of feet; dirty feet. Our Israel buddies know they were dirty feet. And it was His… It wasn’t something He humbled Himself to do, and lowered Himself to do, it was something He loved, because He came as God in Man, the perfect combination; and He was a Servant. And I want to…. Now I’m getting excited about experiencing Him in the mundane. Well I think we’re going to that because the Kingdom is practical. I have, and you have, obviously from your responses. The Lord and the Father are infinitely practical, like my stove that I thought I didn’t need; Could’ve gone on without.. But there is going to be in the days ahead I believe, a much simplified life, and a much more basic way of living than we as Americans have known. And I think that’s why we have to know He comes in in every practical matter, and solves it. I’ve been memorizing John 15; this is not news, but this is that “without me you can do nothing”. “Abide in Me, and I in you. He who abides in Me bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” And that means nothing; that means you can’t clean up the kitchen, you can’t feed the chickens. You might can do it. But I don’t think there’s anything in us that would like a life of that. We can do it on occasion. (J) There’s certainly nothing eternal about it if you do it. I mean anybody can do anything, you know, but to invite heaven into earth through practical… And you know it’s not like my entire life is practical, because I have quite a bit of spiritual, wonderful things going on. But it’s just not… To have your head in the clouds all the time and it be, I used to always use the phrase you know, singing Hosanna music and just walking around you know; no, it’s not the way it is. (M) Maybe, does anybody want to speak into the podcast about this subject? Come on Becky. (Becky) When John was speaking, the Lord reminded me that the apostle John, the apostle of love, they could not kill. They tried to boil him in oil and do many things, and they could not kill him. So he’s getting pretty old. So they put him on the Isle of Patmos. And they thought we’ll give him a pick, and he didn’t even get off on the emperor’s birthday, because the emperor said he was god, so he couldn’t take the holiday because he wouldn’t worship him. And he stayed there picking, all by himself, while everybody else was gone. And the idea was that he’s so old that he’ll die of a heart attack from having to use the pick, and pick at rocks, I guess, every day. But that’s when he got the revelation and he visited heaven, and he was doing the practical. I can’t think of anything worse really; well maybe I can, but it’s not worth mentioning. (Laughter) But he… We have revelation today, which is a blessing to everyone who reads it. So, good luck with the chickens. (J) That was Becky Gilmer. (M) And you know I think of Paul… We get into the, the Biblical characters are such a standard presented there. Paul was the great intellect of his age, the great Pharisee and leader, and a Greek citizen with enormous knowledge and education, and he made tents. In serving the Lord he earned his own living by making tents, which would be no small task. (J) We’ve seen them. (M) Yeah, yeah we have. (J) Not his tents, but… (Laughter) (M) (Background comment) (J) No we didn’t. (M) Anyone else? This is, this is a magnificent man of God. Shush Martha. That we love dearly. I want you Joe to tell these people what you do every day. (Joe) What do I do every day? I don’t do it, God does it. (M) Ok, what does God do? (Joe) First off, in my field I’m a physical therapist assistant. And I work in a hospital with really sick people. And God has my back every day in everything I do. I work with some unbelievably heavy people; I will, over four hundred pounds. And some days I ache, but with His help I’m able to sit them up, stand them up. He gives me words of encouragement to speak to them. They get… Some people want to go, they want to die, they’ve had enough. Some people are encouraged enough to carry on, to work. Ah, you know so, and I don’t even think… You guys are talking about the practical, and I’m like thinking well, He kind of shows up. But He, you know what, He shows up in all our lives. So I mean everyday, just about everything I do… Some of the stuff that I do is difficult, some of the stuff is easy, ah, I have to do some things that people do with their parents, I have to clean up soiled people. I always think to myself, “Whatsoever you do unto the least of my children”. So and, I mean He turns lights green for me when I drive my car; He does. Doesn’t anybody get green lights? I mean that’s how practical He is. He finds my keys for me. When I misplace my keys in the house, I’ll stand there and I’ll say ok, Holy Spirit, the Word says… Yeah, the Word says, things will be revealed, so where’s my, where’s my keys at? (Laughter) I’ll stand there for a minute and I’ll say oh, ok, I set them over there. And I’ll go over there and they were there. So He does. Is that good? (M) That, that’ll do. (Joe) Is that ok? (M) What do you give? Do you give exercise? Do you exercise people, and you bathe them, and you lift them, and you…? (Joe) Well I don’t, I don’t bathe them. (M) That’s not your job. (Joe) Bathe them, that’s not my job, but I will clean them if they’re soiled; I’ll change diapers, I exercise with them, I get them walking again. I don’t get them walking, ok; it has nothing to do with me. But they walk, they get better, they improve, they go home. They come back and give me cookies. (Laughter) Anything else? Am I good? (M) That’s good, that’s good, thank you dear. LeAnne, come on. That was Joe Gallagher from Maryland. (Joe) Somebody else gets a turn. (M) (Martha laughs) Hot spot. This is LeAnne Zutuni. (Leanne) I want to tell you about a lady who touched my life. And it has to do with the practical. We travel a good bit, and in our travels we get cursed and blessed as we go through different airports. (M) Tell them why. (Leanne) Tell them why? (M) Hmhmm. (Leanne) Because my husband is Lebanese. We’re Christians, and we’ve got a Christian Lebanese name, so when we go through Istanbul they curse us, and when we go through Austria or Germany they curse us because we’re coming from Lebanon. And so yeah, we get it coming and going. But it’s amazing who God has along the way, and I want to tell you about a woman who is touching the world from a bathroom. She cleans the bathrooms in Atlanta, Hartsfield International Airport. And when people come into the bathroom she’s cleaning. She says don’t go over there honey, come over to this sink, I’ve just cleaned it. Or she’ll say don’t go in that toilet, somebody just came out; I just cleaned this one, come in this one, you’ll stay clean. And she wipes the handles of the doors. She cleans everything that you touch so that you’re clean. And then she blesses you, as you go out the door she says God bless you. And she says, God keep you safe, God touch you. She says this on top of people; people who are looking at her, or not looking at her, ignoring and avoiding the contact. And I looked at her and I… The last time we came through I had my children and we had just come through being cursed returning home, and I said oh thank you. And she said come here, come here, I have to touch you. And she’s touching anyone who’s willing. She is there cleaning the bathroom and doing God’s work to how many people? That’s the practical. (J) Hmhmm. (Leanne) That’s God in the practical.

DONATE:

We recorded our first Shulamite Podcast in 2007 and never dreamed that nearly a decade later we’d still be going strong! Recording and producing a podcast a week is a privilege as well as a challenge, and each episode represents a labor of love by John in editing, cleaning up the sound, searching out anointed images and so much more.

It is our joy to open up our body life to believers around the world and our prayer is that each podcast will bear the Spirit’s own fruit in the lives of all who listen. If you’re led to sow into this ministry, simply click the button below and use a credit card or your PayPal account to make an offering. Thank you and may God bless you!

And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19